CONFIDENTIAL
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MDLIAN ( 5 )
12. THIS WAS A GOOD, SOLID, CONSTRUCTIVE MEETING, WITH MANY SHARED PERCEPTIONS. THE THAIS SEEMED TO BE LOOKING ROUND FOR A MORE POSITIVE ROLE IN THE AREA AND FOR MORE SUBSTANCE ΤΟ THEIR ASEAN ASSOCIATION, PARTICULARLY ON THE SECURITY SIDE. VITTHYA IS MORE DIRECT AND RATIONAL THAN HIS PREDECESSOR AND
I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS MEETING TO
OPEN A SENSIBLE DIALOGUE WITH HIM AND THE THAIS.
13. THERE SEEMS TO BE A SHIFT OF DIRECTION ON BURMA. THAILAND
AND, I GUESS, ASEAN ARE STILL UNHAPPY ABOUT CRITICISM OF BURMA AND INTERFERENCE FROM THE WEST, BUT ARE PERHAPS BEGINNING TO REALISE THAT THEY CANNOT ALTOGETHER DODGE THIS ISSUE.
VITTHYA SEEMED TO REALISE THAT IF THEY ARE TO HANDLE WESTERN
PRESSURE THEY NEED TO HAVE A PRACTICAL POLICY OF THEIR OWN. SLORC, PERHAPS PICKING UP ON THIS SHIFT OF EMPHASIS, ARE AS ALWAYS VERY PRICKLY.
14. ON CAMBODIA, THE THAIS REMAIN FIRMLY IN THE MIDDLE. THEIR
MAIN CONCERN AT THE MOMENT SEEMS TO BE TO KEEP THE CHINESE
FIRMLY ANCHORED WITHIN MAINSTRAEM P5 DISCUSSIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS. LIKE MANY OTHERS, THEY FEAR A ''RED SOLUTION EVEN THOUGH THIS WOULD SECURE SOME OF THEIR NATIONAL INTERESTS
IN INVOLVING THE KHMER ROUGE IN A SETTLEMENT AND HOLDING THE VIETNAMESE AT ARMS' LENGTH. BECAUSE THEY CAN SPEAK EASILY WITH US AND ACCEPT THAT WE HAVE NO OBVIOUS SELF-INTEREST
IN CAMBODIA, THEY WANT US TO STAY INVOLVED AS A MAIN P5 PLAYER AND TO ARRANGE BRITISH ACCREDITATION IN PHNOM PENH ONCE
THE SNC AND SIHANOUK GET ESTABLISHED THERE.
MELHUISH
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
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SEAD
LEGAL ADVISERS
PUSD
INFO D
CONSULAR D
ECONOMIC ADVISERS
DISTRIBUTION
133
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SAD
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UND
SAD II/ODA
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PS/LORD CAITHNESS
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